Doubles partners Bob and Mike Bryan will return to Atlanta on Monday to play one final exhibition match before the Atlanta Open shuts down after this year’s event.
The Bryan brothers will play against longtime friends John Isner and Andy Roddick. Both Isner and Roddick have won the Atlanta Open in singles, whereas the Bryans have won the doubles draw. All four have had great memories in Atlanta and will come together one last time to celebrate what Atlanta has meant for their careers.
“John and Andy are both great friends of ours, we go way back with both guys,” Bob Bryan said. “They’re two of our best friends in the game. It’s gonna be special to dust off the racquets and get back out there and compete against them. Those guys both serve bombs. It’s gonna be no easy break, especially on those Atlanta courts, where it can be very hot and bouncy.”
He continued, “I think it’s gonna be a great way to celebrate the tournament as well in the 15 years at Atlantic Station. … Andy’s won the tournament. I think. John’s raised the trophy, so we all have special memories from Atlanta. We’re sad to see the tournament go, but excited to see everyone one more time.”
Bob and Mike Bryan won the Atlanta Open in 2015 and 2017.
Mike said, “We played our first tournament in Atlanta in ‘95, big ALTA leagues. They fell in love with our game style – the fans there – so every time we played in Atlanta, it was very special. We could feel the energy and appreciation for our games.”
To many, the Bryans are known as the best doubles team of all-time. The brothers grew up in Southern California in a big tennis family and played for two years at Stanford before deciding to turn pro. Aside from their advanced skill level, their key to success truly was loving the game of tennis and getting to share that experience with each other.
Mike said, “We got along really well. We’re best friends, and it was great traveling for 23 years with your best friend, and we do everything together. We’re like shadows. We walk in the tournament together. We’d stay together. We’d be playing games together, and I think that’s why we lasted so long. You could see when we’re playing we really enjoyed doing what we did.”
Bob added, “Just knowing you have someone that’s completely committed and loyal to you just adds confidence, and knowing you could go out there and have a bad match or a bad month, and Mike’s never gonna leave me for someone else.”
Tennis is known as a physical, but very mental sport. It’s common for many athletes to constantly battle with their mind and may even stop to listen to the noise inside their head. However, the Bryans remained even-keeled with their mentality throughout their career.
Mike said, “We really wanted to win. And yeah, you do have those voices in your head, you do have that doubt, that insecurity, and have that person on your shoulder chirping in your ear. It’s all about that time in between points as we developed those rituals.”
He continued, “The breath is a really big anchor to bring you down into your body, not in your head. The breath is huge, and a lot of it is just staying relaxed and relaxing where you’re holding tension.” He also added, “The noise is just noise.”
Bob said, “Don’t listen to the haters, don’t check your Instagram comments. Don’t worry about the noise going around, just focus on doing the best you can do. I think just working as hard as you can work and having no regrets. I think that is what we kinda had when we retired, we knew we gave it everything we had.”
Even with retirement, tennis is present in the Bryans’ lives still as they attended Wimbledon and also are helping support and lead current tennis athletes.
Bob said, “I am the captain of Davis Cup team, and Mike’s the coach of Davis Cup team, and we’re both taking the Olympic team to Paris as captains. So we’ve been supporting American tennis our whole career, and now we’re doing it from the other side, which is coaching and supporting teams. That’s why we’re at Wimbledon, just catching up with the guys and just supporting our players.”
The Bryans also give credit to their tennis idol Andre Agassi when discussing the legacy they hope they left behind with the game of doubles.
Bob said, “We’re proud that we gave back to the game. We tried to inspire kids to play the great game of tennis. And to play doubles. We always signed the extra autograph and stayed and took time with the fans because at the end of the day, that’s why we were inspired.”
He continued, “Andre Agassi signed our ball and talked to us, and he became our hero, and that’s what drove us our whole career. It’s kinda that love and passion for the game, so if we could’ve inspired a kid, a set of twins to play doubles, then that’s what we want to be remembered for – our love for the game, and we just passed it on.”
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